Having feeding issues with my new BM C-15

[panzerr]

[youtube=][/youtube]

What type of buffer is it running? What type if ammo is it having issues with? Is it a semi auto or full auto BCG?

It sounds like it is short stroking. The BCG isn't consistently going back far enough to strip a round. Personally, I wouldn't bet my life on a Bushmaster, but if you feel the need to keep it you will need to make a few changes.

As far as the buffer, I have no idea. It's using whatever it had out of the box.

For ammo, I've only had it a couple weeks, and only put about 350-400 rounds through. I have tried 50, 55, and 62gr fmj. I have also tried some of the 69gr jhp, all had the feeding issues. Ammo was Remington / federal / fiocchi , all brass.

The buffer is half the reciprocating mass, the BCG is the other. If your gun is under gassed and thus short stroking going to a lighter buffer or BCG may help. For example, go from a FA BCG to a semi or drop down to a carbine buffer if you are running an H buffer.

IMO bushmaster makes sub par weapons and should be avoided. I would get that thing running, dump it, and by a quality bullet launcher like a Noveske or BCM. Cheap ARs like Bushmaster, double star, DPMS, Olympic....the list goes on....bring a bad name to the platform as a whole. Not to say they can't work, you just have to know a little something to get their lemons to work.

[Fearless Leader]

I bought one of these last year, had to send it in to have the upper replaced - the surface where the scope mounts is held on with 1 little screw which came loose, (Bushmaster sent me a prepaid UPS shipping Label) the gun came back but dosen't have the accuracy it had when new. Bushmaster has only a one year warranty while others have a lifetime warranty, does this tell you something about their quality???
I replaced the upper with a R Guns 20" Bull barrel which shoots fine. I guess the only good thing I can say about the BM C15 is that it is nice and lite! If you want a Plastic Lower check out New Frontier. Also talk to the guys at Atomic Tactial in Bloomington, If Bushmaster dosent help.

[gp55445]

[youtube=][/youtube]

What type of buffer is it running? What type if ammo is it having issues with? Is it a semi auto or full auto BCG?

It sounds like it is short stroking. The BCG isn't consistently going back far enough to strip a round. Personally, I wouldn't bet my life on a Bushmaster, but if you feel the need to keep it you will need to make a few changes.

As far as the buffer, I have no idea. It's using whatever it had out of the box.

For ammo, I've only had it a couple weeks, and only put about 350-400 rounds through. I have tried 50, 55, and 62gr fmj. I have also tried some of the 69gr jhp, all had the feeding issues. Ammo was Remington / federal / fiocchi , all brass.

The buffer is half the reciprocating mass, the BCG is the other. If your gun is under gassed and thus short stroking going to a lighter buffer or BCG may help. For example, go from a FA BCG to a semi or drop down to a carbine buffer if you are running an H buffer.

IMO bushmaster makes sub par weapons and should be avoided. I would get that thing running, dump it, and by a quality bullet launcher like a Noveske or BCM. Cheap ARs like Bushmaster, double star, DPMS, Olympic....the list goes on....bring a bad name to the platform as a whole. Not to say they can't work, you just have to know a little something to get their lemons to work.

thanks for your brand loyalty opinion...

[BuckKlier]

I bought one of these last year, had to send it in to have the upper replaced - the surface where the scope mounts is held on with 1 little screw which came loose, (Bushmaster sent me a prepaid UPS shipping Label) the gun came back but dosen't have the accuracy it had when new. Bushmaster has only a one year warranty while others have a lifetime warranty, does this tell you something about their quality???
I replaced the upper with a R Guns 20" Bull barrel which shoots fine. I guess the only good thing I can say about the BM C15 is that it is nice and lite! If you want a Plastic Lower check out New Frontier. Also talk to the guys at Atomic Tactial in Bloomington, If Bushmaster dosent help.

I had the same problem, the srew came loose, I put it back in with lock tite and it came loose again. and would not tighten up again, the threads were stripped. I was going to put on a forged upper but I was told it would not fit (the threads are different?)

[panzerr]

thanks for your brand loyalty opinion...

Is there something wrong with opinions based on proven track records?

[yuppiejr]

thanks for your brand loyalty opinion...

Is there something wrong with opinions based on proven track records?

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, it often helps credibility if you can include some factual reference to back up such a sweeping generality. Got a link supporting this with some data on return rates/warranty claims, etc? Or did you just hear it on the internet?

For all we know a trip to Bushmaster in a brown box could get his rifle running tip-top for range fun and he'll be good to go for the life of the rifle I know more happy owners of AR's on the list of "bad for the platform reputation" makers on your list than I do BCM or Novenske guys and they all seem to enjoy their rifles equally... The only AR I had to return for service was a BCM that had a burr in the upper that jacked up a gas key on the bolt carrier, they fixed it quick and I was back up and running (I'd gladly buy BCM again, by the way). I do/have owned or borrowed AR's on both ends of the price spectrum <some with a mix of parts from both> and can't say I've had any significant issue with any of them... knock on wood.

[Hmac]

thanks for your brand loyalty opinion...

Is there something wrong with opinions based on proven track records?

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, it often helps credibility if you can include some factual reference to back up such a sweeping generality. Got a link supporting this with some data on return rates/warranty claims, etc? Or did you just hear it on the internet?

For all we know a trip to Bushmaster in a brown box could get his rifle running tip-top for range fun and he'll be good to go for the life of the rifle I know more happy owners of AR's on the list of "bad for the platform reputation" makers on your list than I do BCM or Novenske guys and they all seem to enjoy their rifles equally... The only AR I had to return for service was a BCM that had a burr in the upper that jacked up a gas key on the bolt carrier, they fixed it quick and I was back up and running (I'd gladly buy BCM again, by the way). I do/have owned or borrowed AR's on both ends of the price spectrum <some with a mix of parts from both> and can't say I've had any significant issue with any of them... knock on wood.

As near as I can tell from years of hanging around armorers, trainers, and people who shoot these things for a living, the relative lack of quality found in the consumer-grade rifles like Bushmaster, RRA, DPMS etc has pretty much passed into the realm of common knowledge. I know of know of no randomized, prospective, double-blind, statistically significant studies that analyse failure rates, but I know at least a couple of nationally-known firearms trainers that recognize certain brands as excellent and certain brands as crap, and I have more than enough anecdotes to convince me that my money is FAR better spent on firearms that are further up the quality chain than Bushmaster.

Any company can put out a bad rifle. When that company puts out enough bad rifles that people notice the trend, then IMHO it's time to pay closer attention when selecting one's firearms.

[panzerr]

As near as I can tell from years of hanging around armorers, trainers, and people who shoot these things for a living, the relative lack of quality found in the consumer-grade rifles like Bushmaster, RRA, DPMS etc has pretty much passed into the realm of common knowledge. I know of know of no randomized, prospective, double-blind, statistically significant studies that analyse failure rates, but I know at least a couple of nationally-known firearms trainers that recognize certain brands as excellent and certain brands as crap, and I have more than enough anecdotes to convince me that my money is FAR better spent on firearms that are further up the quality chain than Bushmaster.

Any company can put out a bad rifle. When that company puts out enough bad rifles that people notice the trend, then IMHO it's time to pay closer attention when selecting one's firearms.

This.

[yuppiejr]

To be fair, the "some brands are better than others" also has an element of apples and oranges in it.

BCM, Colt and Novenske don't sell mass market budge priced variations of their firearms in the $600 range where rifles like the Bushmaster C15 land. Many of the manufacturers people classify as "second tier" produce a full line of firearms that include the lower cost to produce in addition to higher end models (DPMS would be an example of a company that sells products in the upper-mid and low price tiers). Saying all DPMS or Bushmaster rifles suck when you compare their low end offerings to the higher priced versions from BCM and others is simply not a valid comparison and it really isn't fair to trash the company's entire lineup based on used feedback from their value line products which is where the higher than normal failure rates/issues likely occur.

[Hmac]

To be fair, the "some brands are better than others" also has an element of apples and oranges in it.

BCM, Colt and Novenske don't sell mass market budge priced variations of their firearms in the $600 range where rifles like the Bushmaster C15 land. Many of the manufacturers people classify as "second tier" produce a full line of firearms that include the lower cost to produce in addition to higher end models (DPMS would be an example of a company that sells products in the upper-mid and low price tiers). Saying all DPMS or Bushmaster rifles suck when you compare their low end offerings to the higher priced versions from BCM and others is simply not a valid comparison and it really isn't fair to trash the company's entire lineup based on used feedback from their value line products which is where the higher than normal failure rates/issues likely occur.

Interesting point. I'm not sure that I totally agree but it's something to ponder. It is true that Stag, for example, has a premium line. The problem is that, in order to protect the price point of their lower tier rifles, their upper tier versions tend to be priced as high as the premium-only mfgr like Noveske etc.

[panzerr]

Saying all DPMS or Bushmaster rifles suck.....

To be fair, this wasn't said at all. They don't necessarily suck, they just put out more lemons and cut more corners on things that won't make much a difference except under hard use.